Gifts Today magazine

US ceramics company moves to Staffs., UK

Major boost for ceramics industry as American ceramics firm moves its headquarters to North Staffordshire, UK

An American ceramics firm is relocating its U.S. headquarters to North Staffordshire as part of a £5 million investment, according to The Stoke Sentinel.

The decision by Colorado-based Mempro is a major boost for North Staffordshire, which promotes itself as the world's capital of ceramics.The deal has been two years in the making after city council officers first met the company during a US trade fair.

Now, Mempro is in negotiations to move on to Keele University's Science and Innovation Park after chief executive, John Finley, visited the region to look at sites earlier this year.

Mempro specialises in the manufacture and development of so-called ceramic nanofibres for the small engine industry. It has spent 15 years designing the NoxFox catalytic filter which is a revolutionary new product and aims to make 'small engines' more environmentally friendly including those inside lawn mowers, leaf blowers and chainsaws.

Company founder Mr Finley says: “Our plan to move to North Staffordshire came about following a trade show in the U.S. two years ago, where I met representatives from Stoke-on-Trent City Council who told me that the area would be a great place to grow the business. Since then we have been in talks about building a sufficient enough facility in North Staffordshire."

Initially, a handful of new jobs will be created following Mempro's relocation, primarily in the business development and marketing departments. But the company believes it will quickly become one of North Staffordshire's most 'significant' employers.

Mr Finley said: "We are going to have access to some terrifically-educated people and we will be looking for people who come from an engineering background. So for me, North Staffordshire is the ideal place for Mempro. It has a rich history in ceramics and it has two great universities with professors and students that completely understand ceramic nanofibres and the processes. So there's going to be real progress and growth going forward."

The university's science and innovation park has recently seen the addition of its fifth Innovation Centre (IC5), thanks to a £7 million investment from Staffordshire County Council.